Carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes



p l 1 37- c. A. BURROWS 2,077,671

CARRIER FOR PNEUMATIIIG DIISPATCH TUBES" Filed Aug. 27, 1934 r 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR,

A ATTORNEY April 20, 1937. c, A. BURROWS I 12,077,671

' CARRIER FOfi PNEUMATIC DISPATCH TUBES Filed Aug. 27, 1934 2Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Q w w m m {g Q N Q 1 I ATTORNEY 11v VENTOR,

G/IIWQIY A Burro W5;

Patented Apr. 20, 1937 RATENT- OFFICE CARRIER- Fon .PNEUMATIQ msrnronClinton 'A. Burrows, Glendale, (jalif assignor to StoreEquipment,Corporation, a colrporation of California ApplicationAugust 27,1934;Serial No; 741,585

14 Claims, (01. 243 -34),

This, invention relates. to carriers of the type.

used in pneumatic dispa'tchsysterns.

At'the present time, fcy ,i l dr ical type carriers including a casingor casings are adapted to m ,cei ve messages,.currency, and various,data, and which-carrier or carriers, are thereafter placed within a tubeand delivered elsewhere underpneuf matic pressure.

In the majority of cases, .so far as the inventor. is aware, it isimpossible to ascertain by merev ly glancing .at the carrier and withoutopening the same, the destination, the con'teritoncontents of thecarrier. The pneumatic system utilizing carriers, is possiblymoreefiicient than any other system for determining the credit of acustomer, making rapid change or currency, keep ingtrack f sales slips,and the like. However, 1

siring to charge an article, a slipwith the customers name may be ,madeout and inserted in the carrier, and after passage through the tube tothe receiving station, thejreceiving' station must forward the carrierto the authorizing clerk.

Thus, the carrier must be opened by the receiving clerk to determine theproper destination for said' carrier, whereupon the carrier must beagain opened at its destination prior to returningthe' carrier. However,to open the carrier, remove the slip, replace the slip, and returnthecarrie'r-en' tails delay. This delay becomes more noticeable if thecredit asked for is not'legitimate, fo'r the" reason that the persondesiring the credit maybe 4 come nervous and leave. Asa consequence, if0 theentire operation can beperformedwithin'a few seconds of time,'in'"the case ofiraudfthe house detective can examine the signaturebefore the slip is removed from the carrier and 45 readily apprehend theculprit prior to leaving the designated spot. 'Fo'r in'stanceQthearticlepur chased may be in the process of wrapping during the time thatthe carrier is in transit.

An objectLof the present inventio'nisthe provision iri'a carrier ofmeans wheijeby any slip bea 7 opening the cariier.

'The inventor is aware that carriers have here-' tofore been suggested,whereinthe saidcarrier' embodies some transparent member adaptedto ring'fiotationscan be" readily read; without,

permit observation of the contents of the carrier.' However, so: far asthe inventor is aware, carriers of this type are not used, due to thefact that said carriers are open tomany objections, from astructuralstandpoint.

By way of example, it may be stated that carriers that the :inventor' isfamiliar with are not foolproof in ;operation, are structurally weak,subject'to damage, shortlived, do not always functionin' the mannerintended, are expensive in cost' of manufacture, and with parts of thecarrier liable to separate and spill the contents.

My 'inventionfovercomes the deficiencies above enumerated and provides acarrier having a transparent inner cylinder adapted to resist stresaacarrier embodying means whereby the contents of thecarrier may beobserved, which said means is so arranged and constructed as to not,bejsubjected to any stress during movement of the'carrier throughapneumatic tube, or to be subjected to any stress other than that of.torqu when the carrier is opened.

Other'objects of the invention, including inexpensiveness in cost ofmanufacture and general superiority over existing carriers now known tothe'inventor, and ease of assemblage, will be detailed as thespecificationproceeds, and with the above and other objects in view, theinvention consists in theno'vel and useful provision, formation,construction, association, and interrelation of parts, members andfeatures, all as shown in certain embodiments in the accompanyingdrawings,. described generally, and more particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved carrier shown within a pneumatictube, said tube being fragmentary and in longitudinal section,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the inner shell member of the invention,

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the shell membershofwn inFigure' 2,looking in the direction of the arrow of said figure,

Figure 4 is an elevation of a disk member used in practicing theinvention,

'Figure 5 is abottom plan view of the disk of Figure 4, Q

Figure 6.15 a side elevation of the disk of Fig ure 4,

Figure '7 is aplanview of aring member of the ventio Figure 8 is a topplan view of the ring member shown in Figure 7,

Figure"9 isa plan view of a disk adapted to cooperate with the disk andring of Figures 4 and '7,

Figure 10 is a sectional view on the line l0l0 of Figure 9,

Figure 11 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale of theinvention, the said view being taken on the line Hll of Figure 1;

Figure 12 is a cross sectional view on the line |2--l2 of Figure 11,and,

Figure 13 is a sectional view on the line l3-l3 of Figure 11.

Referring now with particularity to the drawings, I have shown at l theimproved carrier within a tube 2. As is customary in systems of thecharacter of this invention, the said carrier is placed within a tubeand moves therethrough under pnuematic presure. Accordingly, stationsare established at different zones, for instance, adjacent a counter,with said tube terminating at what is known as a distribution zone, theclerks at said zone in turn redistributing the said carriers throughsuitable tubes to the authorizing clerks. The system is much the same asa telephone system wherein a main office receives the call and in turnconnects with the proper party. To this end, as has previously beenpointed out, it becomes important for reasons that will readily suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art, to save time and needless effortand motions on the part of the distribution clerks. Return tubes arelikewise provided so that, after the subject matter of the contents ofthe carrier has been examined, an immediate return may be made to theinitial point. Within the purview of my invention, I have provided acarrier having an inner shell in part constructed of transparentmaterial so that the contents of said carrier may at all times bereadily observed. As these carriers move with considerable speed withinthe pneumatic tubes, it is essential that when the carrier drops withina receiving basket from the tube, that the fragile inner shell be notinjured. It will be appreciated that if the carrier contains currency inaddition to a suitable sales slip, the carrier in dropping within areceiving basket will strike the basket with considerable force, andwith my invention, I have the parts so constructed that the inner shellis relieved of this stress.

In its simplest embodiment, my improved carrier comprises outer andinner shell members, the inner shell being closely nested Within theouter shell and turnable relative to the outer shell. The inner shell ispreferably formed of some transparent material, such as celluloid. Thecarrier is provided with conventional bumper members at both ends. Oneof said bumper members is secured to the outer shell and the other ofsaid bumper members is secured to suitable end members embodying lockingmechanism, directly associated with but not attached to the inner andouter shells. The relationship of these end members with the two shellsis such that the inner shell floats, that is to say, the inner shell isallowed slightlongitudinal movement within the outer shell and does nothave a rigid connection with the locking mechanism nor with the bumpermembers or heads. Thus, it is possible for me to construct all of theinner shell of transparent material using a very small portion of metalat the ends,--just sufiicient to make the shell retain its cylindricalform. This transparent material will not withstand great shock but myconstruction relieves it of such shock. These locking members are soconstructed and arranged that the only stress subjected to thetransparent in-.,. I

ner shell is due to torque. This transparent inner shell is providedwith a conventional opening in the side adapted to register with acorresponding opening in the outer shell, when the parts are moved tocause such registration. The inner shell may be rotated relative to theouter shell, to the end that a portion of the transparent shell mayentirely cover the segmental opening of the outer shell, and when sopositioned, to lock against further movement.

I also incorporate in my present invention suitable means for limitingthe rotative movement of the inner shell relative to the outer shell intwo directions. Also incorporated within the inner shell is suitablemeans whereby a slip bearing indicia will be so held within the innershell that as the inner shell is turned, the slip moves therewith andthe indicia may be viewed through the segmental slot of the outer shell.

Another feature of the invention resides in the means whereby the innershell, comprising a transparent member, may be suitably held at itsterminal portions to the end that distortion, undue internal stress, anddamage is effectively prevented.

Referring to Figure 11, the said carrier includes an outer shell orcasing 3 which, in the present instance, is cylindrical in crosssection, and an inner cylindrical shell 4 fitted within the outer shell.The relationship and the fit between said shells is such that they maybe relatively rotated or turned. The outer shell 3 is preferably formedof some stress-resisting material, such as metal. One end of said shell,as shown at 5, is provided wtih an inwardly directed annular flange 6.Received within the confines of the shell 3 and bearing against the saidflange 6 is a circular plate I. A bumper head or ter- .minal 8, formedof some cushioning material,

such as felt, is secured to the said plate 1. This plate is providedwith a pair of spaced openings adapted to accommodate the heads 9 ofscrews III, the said screws being passed through opening's II and I2 ofthe head 8 and threaded in threaded openings l3 of a retaining plate l4confined within a circular recess l5 extended inwardly from the outersurface of the said head 8.

The head 8 is adapted to overlap the annular flange 6, as shown at I6,and the diameter of said head, in the present instance, is greater thanthe external diameter of the shell 3.

The said shell 3 is provided with a segmental cut-out portion or openingI! substantially intermediate its ends, and the cut-out portion is ofsufiicient area to readily permit access to the interior of the saidshell.

The opposite terminal portion l8 of the shell 3 is provided with anannular peripheral rib l9, this rib thereby providing an annular groove20 on the inner surface of said shell.

The inner shell 4, in the present instance, is formed of transparentmaterial, such as transparent celluloid, and which transparent materialis cylindrical in form.. This transparent material is provided with asegmental slot 2|, the shape and area thereof corresponding to the shapeand area of the opening I! of the outer shell 3. For the purpose ofmaintaining a cylindrical form, of assuring non-breakage of thetransparent material and likewise to reinforce the same against stress,I have provided members designated generally as 22 and 23, respectivelyfor ends of said material. The member 22 is famed::bmtwozcun liesmembers! iandrlhwith flan es: ikand-.-29.-.s1is;htl snaeedto r eivunder-- pressnrectheaendportion said tran m terial. Th member-.12 n rmedy. tw0:; hg,.;;

underizpressure lb tw enrthemzth opposi end portionlofczsazidt a sparenmater a ts ri rtendedthatithe said rrihsses alic u ely embrace:thecsaidzsh llfiw. tjs iev dente hat. 1the.: y i-h I idricalriomao etheinne :i n a n nfimshell 5 t uszma nta'med .hy; :t e end rnemh sfi,audit:

and further, tha I t rque. ex rtedhmmone p yh other of said members toproduce rotation ofthe nnerash l-M will, not; distort; u pnr e eblextent, thesai d shell.

artmwithhl the 5 base 26 constituting the oppositeiend iWall for;

said shelldi kaii 45 reta ned int a ifixedirelation to theend of the o rshe and is prov d w hrradial-wlu srriii and :36 .fitt ngti cor e pond-aing no ch s :3 and: 3 ut i he nd ref-there n: i

30 h n-sheik. w eheausel hesaidsi nershelLtQ;

rotate when the -burnp er;;is "rotated The inner; shelltihasrsufliei nti a a between-t is; l -1 k. and the eles dend 01, e,.0uter;:she1;1:; 0-:allew i 'v to move freely, and this cleara-nee also allows;v

s5 freezl mitedi it d nal: =:flqa neotion. of

of -"the :disk,

said-inner Shel-1' in relati nrto t e oute she land with :;disk;: 34,-.the e y xp v tine s ns. n'p ssihl longitudinal-- st ess up n thei nersll; he n,- her; face of the disk :34 is; provided with; a 00117;

r i y 131; and extendinarupward y rom; th fac of. said-gconcavity areribs. -38 and-39, The l opposits ifaee; 40 0f said .di kis; provided wihacone centric. boss or enlar ment and th isaidif e v 4 0. likewise hasex e din t u w dlyt "sub tan al: 1y at right angles thereto a stud 42.The;bQdy

together. ,;With; the hub, is p provide d withoneior, morescrew-threaded bores 43 and 44.: Al-plate '(see Figures 9 and 10) isprovided with; a pair of spa ed bores and" adapted-to r ,ister with, thescrew-threaded bores 43 and-44 of,

the ;disk 34 and;whensaid plate 45 {rests against the face 4| oftheboss, the saidbores 46;,and 41y; registering with the ,bores 43 rand44,:the .stud 42 passes through an opening 48 ,1 provided theref orin-the plate 45.:

Adapted. to be. interpositioned between the 7- outerface 40 of the disk-34 and the plate-45. r is thelmeans illustratedin Figures '7 and. 8;;This means functions in several capaeities to-witzits the. inner shellconfined within;- the ;outer shelL: itgrin-iconjunction, with othermembers,- limitsthelrotation of the inner shell relative to.theouter-shell: andclikewise functionszas onemember of the locking-means .formaintaininge the-inner shell closed to the outer-shell, whenthe 1 elongated slots 41 of the outer shell is GOV-e ered by thetransparent body of the inner shell. The-means constitutes a flat, splitannulus or ring 49,-one portion of the periphery 50 ofwhichsis cut-awayand-reduced -as to diameter; The

portion 50 forms theterminus for a portion of theannulus-adjacent thesplit 5|, and theportion" 50 is'sobent to lie'out ofthe horizontal.plane of the body of the'annulus, as best shown in-Figure 8. Thisportion -5ll-isformedof-spring-- keimatenald heas idahnu ue as n entrnne ied f t ee ns r et h p o i u mer ts; shoulders or stops- 55g and 56between the eccentric ;-,and concentric, portions; The .anus. sirrovidea u 1" nd ng adia-Hysfrom: h pe iphe y me A In-the assemblage; of thedevice, the 34;

is gfittedtzwithin; het.-. n M e. inner h v 4 insueha:mannenthatthelugs35 and 36 are pQsitiQne -;wi;thin.-th not h s .3 an he 53111 5 1thentfittedl t h t e m mla v e QQ e.

not the-K circum erenti r h ;l 9.; 'I'hes d means 49 ggis :correctlypositioned within the annular ooverw ehthet u fi z 1, a ed o h a S 58 in,thesaidrihflsee Figure 11). The fit be;

tween th me hsfia :w thih theannu ar, r v o the rib is quite tightt andif desired, the rib' rnay,

evcrirnned 1 1 5,4 .p s i -a re t t saidmeans, is; not displacedtherefrom. V Obviously= the lu .51, if. asse t r he 01 158, wouldprevent. tu ni g -.mev .m n between ,1 the saidvmeans -;49 ;;and the.outer shell. v

In actual practice it haslqnot been found necessary to I betweenthefiaid means 49 and the rib is sufficient.; Thereaf fi ftthedisk orplate 45 1s so poSitiQned,-;that -,;the stud -42 is passed through the;opening 48.:. Arbump r h a 5 of es m construction as the bumper head 8isprovided;

withs-aytconee r. c ss.1.; 1 wi h n t h qhfl ecess is conflned-ta:plate; t. p ov ed wi h. a r pai o op ni s-:62 and-Hs mueh wh en gs 1;nd openin s tin etheibumpere d are a s 1 screwsq=64:, which; screw ma theueht e enings, 46gand 41;. ;of the platecor disk andare; threaded withn; th t read d en n s-' and; 44. of-the disket e. u r h i mpe ead a .e45 and disk; 34;1are ,held -inworking relationship, 4

themeans. 49.; being-inte p eted be w en t e said disk 1134'. :and the,said plate 145,; as before stated. The boss ,4 l: 1 actst0;,-,properl-y space, the plate 4 5,5 with the; result: that, vtheannular space be tween the said :diskz34- and saidplate 45 is slight 1y'greater' :as, tot transverse dimension; than the thickness;ofhtheimeans 49,,iwith the consequence of; rtheuouter shell. restrictsfend play of theplate 34::in;.an-dnward-axial, direction, During anymovementinan axial-direction of {the disk; 34

andathe;plate.;45.,=; totwhich itis connected-it, is

evident that said end-play is. not communicated to--.the...-.inner shellfort-the reason that the lugs 35 sand :36 :sare free-to move within; thenotches The=platec45 isiprovided on one surface there--. ofi-rwithea.projectionv 6,5;- which may be formed bywstri-king themetal inwardlyfrom one surface, as for instance illustrated in Figure 10. vThisprojection acts as one member of a lock, the other member constituting.'.the part 50; together with the split iornnotchz 5 l: in the means49.;

Referring: to Figure .113, when the inner shell isizrotatedto a..given.-position, the.:projection 65 will slide over the face of the part 50 ofthe means 49,: and-intotthe-notch or split portion 51- W'hen thisoccursaclicking .sound will: be audible-and the innerishell will: be lockedclosed over theisegmental. slot ll -'of the outer shell 3. 'Ihe-part 50-is downwardly curvedxatfifi, to the end that the projection -65 can Iforcel-the apart- 50 downwardly to release the frictional look when theinner shell is turned in the opposite direction through the medium ofthe bumper head 59 to cause registration between the segmental slots ofthe outer and inner shells.

When the projection is in part received within the notch or splitportion 5|, as illustrated in Figure 13, the stud 42 on the disk 34 willabut against the stop 55 of the means 49, thus limiting the rotativemovement of the inner shell relative to the outer shell, the transparentbody of the inner shell covering or closing the elongated slot I! of theouter shell. When the inner shell is rotated in an opposite direction,the stud will engage the stop 56 when the elongated slots I! and 2| ofthe outer and inner shells register.

The operation, uses and advantages of the invention just described areas follows:

It is apparent from an inspection of the drawings and the description asjust given that while a certain amount of end play between the means 49interposed between the disk 34 and the plate is permitted, that this endplay can be controlled to a certain extent. For instance, it will benoted that a surface of the plate 45 abuts against the inturned edge ofthe annular rib of bead l9 and that by reducing the thickness of theboss 4!, the annular space between the disk and plate can be reduced asto cross-sectional area.

When it is desired to use the device, some suitable indicia may bemounted upon, painted, or otherwise applied to the carrier, to the endthat the station'from which the carrier is sent may be readilyascertained by the classification and distribution clerks. If a slip isplaced within the carrier and adjacent the disk 34 in such a manner thatan edge of the slip is received between the ribs 38 and 39, the slipwillbe held in position within the inner shell so that it will not sliprelative to said shell as the shell is rotated. Thus, the slip may becorrectly positioned, to the end that any notations appearing thereonwill be visible when the transparent inner shell covers the slot I 1 ofthe outer shell. This notation may be readily readby those in authorityand the classification clerk may by glancing through the transparentinner shell, dispatch said carrier to its proper station, withoutopening said carrier.

The outer shell 3 is preferably formed of metal to give strength to thedevice and, as a consequence, is opaque, although within the purview ofmy invention, it would be possible to construct the outer shellsimilarly to the construction of the inner shell so that the outer shellmight likewise be transparent in nature.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications and variations maybe made in practicing the invention in departure from the particularshowing thereof and the description as given without, however, departingfrom the true scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes, comprising an outer shell, asubstantially transparent inner shell, and means for maintaining theinner shell against longitudinal stress within the outer shell.

2. A carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes, comprising an inner and anouter shell, bumper heads for ends of said shells; and means whereby thebumper heads are fixed against lateral move ment and longitudinalmovement of the inner shell is permitted relative to the bumper heads.

3. In carrier construction for pneumatic dispatch tubes; a transparentshell, and members therefor, and a splined connection between one ofsaid end members and the shell.

4. A carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes, comprising an inner and anouter shell, an endmember splined to said inner shell, a ring carried bythe outer shell for limiting movement of the inner shell and its splinedend in one direction, and means external the said ring and secured tothe splined end member for producing relative rotation between the innerand the outer shells.

5. A carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes, comprising an inner and anouter shell, an end member splined to said inner shell, a ring carriedbythe outer shell for limiting movement of the inner shell and itssplined end in one direction, and means external the said ringand'secured to the splined end member for producing relative rotationbetween the inner and the outer shells, said means and said ringprovided with members adapted to detachably interlock when said innershell is rotated to a definite position relative to the outer shell.

6. A carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes, comprising an inner shellprovided with an end wall and an outer shell, said outer shell providedat one end with a ring adapted to prevent outward movement of the innershell from the outer shell in one direction, and means on said ringcooperating with means attached to the end wall of the inner shell tolimit rotation of said inner shell in two directions.

7. A carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes, comprising an inner shellprovided with an end wall and an outer shell, said outer shell providedat one end'with a ring adapted to prevent outward movement of the innershell from the outer shell in one direction, means on said ringcooperating with means attached to the end wall of the'inner shell tolimit rotation of said inner shell in two directions, and means forlocking said inner shell at the end of its limit of rotation in onedirection.

8. A carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes, comprising an inner and anouter shell, said inner shell provided with end members and one of saidend members formed with a spaced pair of ribs adapted to engage a slipor the like placed within said shell to prevent a shift of position ofsaid slip relative to the shell.

9. A carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes, comprising an innertransparent shell and. an outer opaque shell, a pair of spaced apartconcentric rings between which ends of said transparent shell arereceived and secured, a plate forming a continuation of one of saidrings to close one end of said transparent shell, a disk for theopposite end of said transparent shell, said disk having asplined'connection With the concentric rings and said shell, wherebysaid shell may shift longitudinally relative to the disk, there being nolateral movement.

10. A carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes,-

outer shell and received in the annular space aforesaid, said disk andsaid ring being provided with cooperating locking means to lock theinner shell in a given position when the elongated slots of said innerand said outer shells are out of registry.

11. A carrier for pneumatic dispatch tubes, comprising an innertransparent shell and an outer opaque shell, both shells provided withelongated slots adapted to register when the shells are relativelyrotated to one position and to be out of registry when the shells arerotated to a second position, said outer shell being provided at one endwith an annular rib, an end member splined to said inner shell, 2, disksecured to said end member and annularly spaced in part therefrom, aring fitted within the rib of said outer shell and received in theannular space aforesaid, said disk and said ring being provided withcooperating locking means to lock the inner shell in a given positionwhen the elongated slots of said inner and said outer shells are out ofregistry, and said ring being formed with stops to limit the rotation ofsaid inner shell relative to the outer shell in two directions.

12. The combination in a pneumatic dispatch carrier having an outershell and an inner transparent shell, of means for closing one end ofsaid inner shell, said means and said inner shell being so related as topermit limited movement of said inner shell relative to said means toprovide a floating inner shell within the outer shell.

13. The combination in a carrier for pneumatic dispatch systems, of anouter opaque shell and an inner transparent shell, both formed with the.usual si-de openings adapted to register when the shells are rotated toone position and to be out of registry when the shells are rotated to asecond position, said inner shell provided with an end, and means onsaid end adapted to engage a. slip or the like whereby said slip remainsin a determined position within the inner shell during relative rotationbetween the said shells, the said slip being visible through the saidtransparent shell.

14. The combination in a pneumatic dispatch carrier having an outershell and an inner transparent shell, means for closing one end of saidshell, said means and said inner shell being maintained in splinedrelationship to permit limited longitudinal movement of said inner shellrelative to said means to provide a floating inner shell within theouter shell.

CLINTON A. BURROWS.

